Happy Easter Sunday to all who are celebrating. MrsBlue and I picked up a small smoked ham with the idea that it suits the occasion, and found that even with a good deal of Googling, we're not quite sure how to prepare it. It seems uncooked, in spite of the smoking, so the main goal will to be sure it's not undercooked. For those of you planning an Easter dinner, here's hoping whoever's doing the cooking is more informed than we are.

That particular recipe is referring to a prime rib roast, not steaks. Fifteen minutes is about right, since you have at least 5 sides to brown. You wouldn't cook a piece of meat that large just under a broiler, unless you want it raw in the middle, or completely charred on the outside.

Although I didn't RTFA - i remember the Mythsmasher's episode; it wasn't about whether a sear makes it taste better - it inarguably does; it was strictly debunking the 'locks in moisture' bit you mention; it didn't make the meat any moister; the Maillard reaction is why you do it, but the meat won't be moister because of the sear (does taste better though).

Well unless you have a salamander that you can do your steak in at about 1800 degrees I have to respectfully disagree with Alton. Next time you're cooking up a couple of steaks try it. Sear 1 and then throw that and the other one in the oven or under the broiler and see which is better. The searing not only helps to lock in moisture but the caramelized and salted crust - you did salt them, right? - provide a much better taste and texture than just cooking them without the searing. He speaks about searing for upwards of 15 mintutes which is ridiculous. You only need about a minute - or two max - for a flash sear to begin the Maillard reaction. I have to admit I've never tried what he's proposing there of cooking first and searing after, so I'll give it a shot tomorrow and see.

"Lights going out and a kick in the balls. That's entertainment, that's entertainment"

There's a great, experimentally-based how-to-perfectly-cook-meat guide from Serious Eats. They even tackle the myth of the sear: basically, you're just cooking extra moisture off the outside while overcooking the meat, and you end up with less juice overall.

DNForever wrote on Apr 24, 2011, 15:00:You can boil them for 20 mins a pound, if you have a big enough pot.

Well, you could, but you really don't want to. In fact, unless you're cooking in the sous vide style you don't really want to boil any food except pasta or eggs. It leaches the flavour - as well as the vitamins - out of meats and vegetables and turns them to mush. Steaming veg is better, but unnecessary and never as good as when you can saute them. Meat on the other hand, besides grilled is always best seared with a quick pan-fry to develop a crust to hold mositure in and finished in the oven - except for prepared meats like said ham which basically just need to be done in the oven.

"Lights going out and a kick in the balls. That's entertainment, that's entertainment"

Whilst you can cook and smoke meat at the same time, in this case you're talking about cold smoking which is done to impart flavour so yes, you need to cook it. Here's a link to doing a classic honey-glazed ham Mmm, steamed hams!.

"Lights going out and a kick in the balls. That's entertainment, that's entertainment"